1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for providing a barrier to block drafts from entering a volume or compartment of material. More particularly, the present invention relates to a draft barrier system having a fastener that opens and closes the volume of material that it is attached to, the fastener causing the draft barrier system to automatically engage upon closing the volume of material.
2. Background Information
Various methods have been invented to help prevent exterior air from entering a closed volume of material at the point of closure on the volume of material. For example, sleeping bags often have zippers thereon to allow a person using the bag to open and close it, thereby allowing the person to enter and exit the sleeping bag. A typical zipper includes a track or chain having two rows of teeth that interlock with each other. A zipper slider is located on the track so that a user can pull on a pull tab on the zipper slider in order to move the slider up and down the track, thereby causing the zipper to zip open and closed as desired. Some zippers have a stop at one or both ends of the zipper to stop the zipper slider from moving off of the track. Some zippers are designed so that the zipper slider is never removed from the track; other zippers are designed to allow the zipper slider to be removed from one row of the track, thereby allowing the material attached to one row of teeth to be further separated from the material attached to the other row of teeth.
Some zippered sleeping bags further include a flap or other insulating material located near the zipper area. This is intended to prevent the exterior air from entering into the closed sleeping bag through the closed zipper. However, existing draft barriers are inconvenient, unwieldy to use, or simply do not work very well to prevent the exterior air from entering into the closed bag. Many draft barriers, such as those comprising a loose flap of material sewn just inside the zipper, require significant manual manipulation before they are in a position to be effective; even after these barriers have been properly placed, they are nevertheless easily displaced and need frequent re-positioning.